Law Enforcement Disrupting Trade That Is Killing The Vaquita

We all know that the Vaquita, a small porpoise endemic to the Sea of Cortez, is nearly extinct; however, there are many organizations that are still fighting to keep the Vaquita from going extinct.

The Vaquita population is in trouble because they keep getting killed from illegal fishing practices in the Sea of Cortez by fishers who are trying to catch another endangered species called Totoaba. Asian countries are seeking out these fish for their swim bladders in which they think has healing properties (it has never been medically proven).

The people working to protect the Totoaba and the Vaquita are having a hard time stopping the fishers from catching an illegal, but high priced fish. Some organizations have moved to stop the middle people from arranging the shipments of Totoaba swim bladders to China from Mexico. And it’s working!